Restoring the Draft: No Panacea

[spot]

Originally Posted by Accountable

That's not new. Military service has always been a fast track to citizenship. It figures that if you're willing to die for the country, you're more deserving of citizenship than the average Joe.

But, as you can see, new or not, it isn't common knowledge among some Americans.

[Accountable]

Originally Posted by spot

But, as you can see, new or not, it isn't common knowledge among some Americans.

Of course, I didn't find out about it until I met someonewhile in the Air Force. With us, it was "Wow, he's willing to do this even though he's not a citizen yet." We had more respect for him because of that. We certainly didn't think he was circumventing the system out of laziness or anything, and we didn't think less of the government for offering th incentive.

Your statement "Shall I tell you what they're doing instead, since the draft isn't an option? They're offering US citizenship to foreigners who'll sign up in the US armed services," implies that the gov't is just now starting to recruit foreigners because they can't find enough citizens to join. I disagree with that.

[spot]

Originally Posted by Accountable

Of course, I didn't find out about it until I met someonewhile in the Air Force. With us, it was "Wow, he's willing to do this even though he's not a citizen yet." We had more respect for him because of that. We certainly didn't think he was circumventing the system out of laziness or anything, and we didn't think less of the government for offering th incentive.

Your statement "Shall I tell you what they're doing instead, since the draft isn't an option? They're offering US citizenship to foreigners who'll sign up in the US armed services," implies that the gov't is just now starting to recruit foreigners because they can't find enough citizens to join. I disagree with that.

If I withdraw the implication of "just now starting to", does that make it work? I didn't have it in mind when I posted. I'd probably have agreed with "since they abandoned the draft" but that's not really an issue in my mind either.

[Accountable]

Originally Posted by spot

If I withdraw the implication of "just now starting to", does that make it work? I didn't have it in mind when I posted. I'd probably have agreed with "since they abandoned the draft" but that's not really an issue in my mind either.

I've already said that the incentive is there. The fact that it's not common knowlege indicates that it's not some jaded ploy to fill the ranks.

I don't question a soldier's motives for joining.

[Accountable]

HOWEVER, in looking for the origin of the incentive, I did find this pretty disgusting article of a Senator wanting to offer citizenship to illegal aliens. To me, that smacks of rewarding someone for getting away with a crime. I haven't read it completely yet, but I wanted it posted in the interest of fairness.

Bill would grant citizenship for service

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jul 16, 2007 17:52:57 EDT

With the possible backing of the Pentagon, the Senate’s second-ranking Democrat will offer an amendment to the 2008 defense authorization bill that allows some undocumented immigrants to receive citizenship through military service.

The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, or DREAM Act, would allow someone who was younger than 16 when they came to the U.S., has been in the country for at least five years and graduated from high school to become a legal immigrant by serving two years in the military.

“It turns out that many in the Department of Defense believe, as I do, that the DREAM Act is an important part of making certain we have talented young men and women ready to serve in our military,” said Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois, the Senate’s assistant Democratic leader and chief sponsor of the bipartisan proposal.

Durbin said he will offer his plan as an amendment to the defense bill, which is on the Senate floor this week for debate.

David S.C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, and Bill Carr, acting deputy undersecretary for military personnel policy, have spoken in favor of using the promise of legal status as a way to help fill the military’s ranks with quality people. Chu has spoken about the need to ensure that undocumented aliens, currently barred from enlisting, get a shot at serving in the military. Carr specifically endorsed the DREAM Act as a “very appealing” way of getting new recruits.

Durbin said his staff has “worked closely” with the Defense Department on the legislation.

Military recruiting would benefit, Durbin said. “Largely due to the war in Iraq, the Army is struggling to meets its recruitment goals,” he said. “Under the DREAM Act, tens of thousands of well-qualified potential recruits would become eligible for military service for the first time. They are eager to serve in the armed forces during a time of war.”

In addition to allowing immigrants to get legal status from military service, the DREAM Act also would grant legal status for attending two years of college. Durbin said one reason to do that is “it would be inconsistent with the spirit of our volunteer military to force young people to enlist as a condition for obtaining legal status.”

That poses a problem, because the Senate tried and failed to pass an immigration reform bill in late June, largely because of strong objections from conservative Republicans who were not swayed by the Bush administration’s support for a sweeping bill.

Still, he said, there is a “strong incentive for military service” and some evidence that as a demographic group, immigrants are “predisposed towards military service.”

“Immigrants have an outstanding tradition of service in the military,” he said, noting there are about 35,000 noncitizens serving in the military and about 8,000 enlist every year.

[spot]

Originally Posted by Accountable

I don't question a soldier's motives for joining.

Why not? They have no allegiance to the USA before they sign up, they're foreigners.

The numbers in the last paragraph of your DREAM article are useful, I hadn't seen those before.

[Accountable]

Originally Posted by spot

Why not? They have no allegiance to the USA before they sign up, they're foreigners.

Many citizens join for reasons other than ideal reasons. Many others join for an idealism that isn't realistic. I'm not concerned with the motives of my fellow soldiers so much as their behavior. The reason they joined is not nearly so important as the reason they stay.

Hell, I joined because I couldn't pay my rent & a retired Air Force guy recommended it. I reenlisted the first time for a girl (my beloved). I can't pinpoint the moment I had the "correct" motives for staying in.

No, I don't question why a person is willing to put his/her life on the line in defense of my country. I'm only thankful he/she does.

My suspiscions are reserved for the politicians.

[Accountable]

Here's another article I like:

Citizenship through military service

By Emilio Gonzalez
August 22, 2006

Born in Mexico, Rafael Peralta came to the United States without speaking a word of English. He wanted to enlist in the Marine Corps right after his graduation from Morse High School in San Diego, but Peralta had to wait until he became a lawful permanent resident. Peralta enlisted the same day he received his green card and earned his citizenship while on active duty. On Nov. 15, 2004, the 25-year-old Marine sergeant was part of an assault team going door-to-door through the streets of Fallujah. As they searched a suspected insurgent hide-out, Peralta was shot in the face and chest and fell into the line of fire.

When four Marines maneuvered into the room where he lay wounded, one of the terrorists tossed a grenade landing close to Peralta. In his final moments, Peralta pulled the grenade close to him, smothered its blast with his body, and saved the lives of his fellow Marines. Sgt. Peralta has been recommended to receive the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions.

From the fields of Gettysburg, to the Argonne forest, on the beaches of Normandy, Iwo Jima and Inchon, on the streets of Hue and along sandy alleyways in Fallujah, heroes were born from men who came to the United States not as mercenaries, but as migrants. Men from Ireland who fought courageously alongside men from Indiana are buried together at Arlington, and each are equally regarded as Americans in memoriam.

Through their military service, immigrants gain valuable insight into the purest forms of our democracy and learn an appreciation for the truly American values that allow any man or woman, regardless of social class or family pedigree, to achieve whatever heights they set for themselves.

Immigrants such as Jose Luis Betancourt, who came here from Mexico with nothing but opportunity in his pocket, and later retired after 33 years of service as a rear admiral and the commander of the U.S. Navy Region Southwest. A true example of the American dream in action, Betancourt encouraged Navy command to work within the San Diego immigrant community and helped countless other sailors and Marines achieve the benefits of citizenship though a partnership with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Record numbers of lawful permanent residents continue to enlist every day, eager to earn their place in their new communities. Under the direction of the president, USCIS is taking steps to ensure that the citizenship process for immigrant service members is convenient, quick and secure. To expedite these applications, a specialized unit of experienced immigration officers has been established for military naturalization cases. Also, recent collaboration with the FBI and the Department of Defense allowed for a change in our fingerprint process to assist service members applying for naturalization and the requisite background checks.

When deployments don't allow for stateside naturalization, citizenship ceremonies are conducted for men and women serving at U.S. installations abroad. Over the past year, USCIS officials have volunteered to travel to Camp Anaconda in Afghanistan and Camp Victory in Iraq, visited the DMZ in South Korea and have gone from Iceland to Nairobi to naturalize service members who have earned the right to share in the liberties and freedoms they help to preserve.

Today, I will stand on the deck of the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan in San Diego Harbor to welcome 87 service members as new citizens. In total, more than 26,000 immigrants serving in our military have been naturalized since Sept. 11, 2001.

We are committed to exhausting every effort to ensure that all military naturalization applications are processed expeditiously so that service members receive this honor on behalf of a grateful nation. These brave individuals are just but a few of the more than 40,000 immigrants serving today in our nation's military and the most recent in a long line of hundreds of thousands of immigrants, including Sgt. Peralta, Rear Adm. Betancourt and more than 700 Medal of Honor recipients who have served under the Stars and Stripes throughout our history.

Gonzalez is director of the Bureau of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a federal agency.

[spot]

As for illegal immigrants joining, DREAM presumably involves a pardon for the misdemeanor of illegal residence in the USA since it offers "the promise of legal status". That would be a radical step in law-making, manumitting a pre-existing unconvicted offence.

[Accountable]

Okay this is getting frustrating. I'm trying to find when expediting citizenship for legal residents serving in the military first started but can't. Google's waters are muddied by the current illegal immigrant debate.

I found this on the INS website, but they didn't cite anything.

If a person has been a permanent resident or green card holder and has been serving, or has served, in the U.S. Military for three years or longer, s/he may be eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship. In addition, some of the other requirements for citizenship could be waived. Also, if one has fought for the U.S. during a period of active hostilities, such s/he may be able to file for citizenship directly without even having been a permanent resident of the U.S.! It is advisable to discuss these issues with an immigration attorney if you believe that you fall into one of these categories and could be eligible for expedited citizenship processing.